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My daughter doesn't want to swallow the food

I need some suggestions.

I have a 22 months old daughter which really give me a hard time when it comes to eating. She has 16 teeth already but she doesn't swallow the food. I have tried from rice to pasta or potatoes, combine them with soup or crunchy food or playing while eating, anything to make her swallow the food. It took almost 2 hours or more to finish a tiny portion of meal and I almost don't have time to do the housework. It has been a week since she started doing that. It is upsetting for me and ruins my mood all day, and I don't want that because it's affecting my daughter also.

I would encourage you to breastfeed as much as possible during this time when your daughter is not wanting to eat as much food. The other thing you can do is to offer her green smoothies full of fruits and vegetables. So very nourishing. Add some avocado to it for higher calorie density.

Try blending banana (can be frozen) with dark leafy greens like kale or spinach. You can add strawberries, pineapple, mango, papaya, strawberries or any other fruit to that mixture. Blend well.

I would encourage you to breastfeed as much as possible during this time when your daughter is not wanting to eat as much food. The other thing you can do is to offer her green smoothies full of fruits and vegetables. So very nourishing. Add some avocado to it for higher calorie density.

Try blending banana (can be frozen) with dark leafy greens like kale or spinach. You can add strawberries, pineapple, mango, papaya, strawberries or any other fruit to that mixture. Blend well.

Hello,

Thanks for sharing, today her appetite is getting better. She didn't eat a lot but she swallowed the food. I'll try the smoothies recipes

How about if you give your daughter solid finger food instead of mushy food on a spoon? Will she chew on, for example, steamed chicken, avocado, cheese, bread with spread, vegetable sticks etc. It actually doesn't matter if you daughter just sucks all the nutrients out of the food and then spits the remainder out.

I would try and take the pressure off of mealtimes. You do not want your daughter to associate negative emotions with food which could cause eating disorders or unhealthy eating habits in later life. Try to make mealtimes fun and relaxed and don't focus on what your daughter is or is not eating.

A good idea for this age is to put out a 'graze plate' of healthy snacks that your daughter can come and go to as she pleases throughout the day. Toddlers are so busy and sitting still for ages at mealtime can just frustrate them. Put the 'graze plate' on a low table or chair that your daughter can reach on her own.

At 22 months of age your daughter should be getting around 35% of her nutrients from her milk, and some children get even more. As Kate says, breastmilk is still really important to your daughter at this age.

How about if you give your daughter solid finger food instead of mushy food on a spoon? Will she chew on, for example, steamed chicken, avocado, cheese, bread with spread, vegetable sticks etc. It actually doesn't matter if you daughter just sucks all the nutrients out of the food and then spits the remainder out.

I would try and take the pressure off of mealtimes. You do not want your daughter to associate negative emotions with food which could cause eating disorders or unhealthy eating habits in later life. Try to make mealtimes fun and relaxed and don't focus on what your daughter is or is not eating.

A good idea for this age is to put out a 'graze plate' of healthy snacks that your daughter can come and go to as she pleases throughout the day. Toddlers are so busy and sitting still for ages at mealtime can just frustrate them. Put the 'graze plate' on a low table or chair that your daughter can reach on her own.

At 22 months of age your daughter should be getting around 35% of her nutrients from her milk, and some children get even more. As Kate says, breastmilk is still really important to your daughter at this age.

Warm wishes,
LJ

Hi LJ,

I gave her solid food and finger food (crackers, french fries, carrots). She even has her own pink table and chair
and I always let her to eat by herself for about 30 minutes but after that my turn to feed her.

Anyway is it okay if my daughter really doesn't want to eat and I let her? I mean I want to teach her the "feeling of hungry". So, I will give her food only when she asked me to.

At 22 months you should offer your daughter 3 meals a day and several snacks inbetween. Many children also start to eat a snack around an hour before bed. 22 months is still very young to be able to know when they are hungry and to have the communication skills to ask for this. I would take the lead as a parent in offering her plenty of food throughout the day.

It is absolutely fine for your daughter to snack or eat from her 'graze plate' whenever she feels like it even if she is not hungry. If you stick to healthy snacks and meals then you do not need to be concerned about how much she eats/ if she wants to snack often.

Here are a list of some excellent recipes for healthy babies (this is from the Baby Led Weaning website).

It sounds like your daughter it sitting to eat for a very long time. Most toddlers only want to sit still for 15-20 minutes for meals (often less!). I would move away from the idea of getting your daughter to sit still for extended periods of time and having meal-times that feel long and difficult or both of you. It is fine if she wants to eat lots of nutritious snack food on the go throughout the day.

Have a look at this article on Feeding the Picky Eater: 17 Tips by Dr. Sears. I think some of these gentle parenting tips such as: relax, dip it, spread it, make it accessible etc will be helpful to you.

At 22 months you should offer your daughter 3 meals a day and several snacks inbetween. Many children also start to eat a snack around an hour before bed. 22 months is still very young to be able to know when they are hungry and to have the communication skills to ask for this. I would take the lead as a parent in offering her plenty of food throughout the day.

It is absolutely fine for your daughter to snack or eat from her 'graze plate' whenever she feels like it even if she is not hungry. If you stick to healthy snacks and meals then you do not need to be concerned about how much she eats/ if she wants to snack often.

Here are a list of some excellent recipes for healthy babies (this is from the Baby Led Weaning website).

It sounds like your daughter it sitting to eat for a very long time. Most toddlers only want to sit still for 15-20 minutes for meals (often less!). I would move away from the idea of getting your daughter to sit still for extended periods of time and having meal-times that feel long and difficult or both of you. It is fine if she wants to eat lots of nutritious snack food on the go throughout the day.

Have a look at this article on Feeding the Picky Eater: 17 Tips by Dr. Sears. I think some of these gentle parenting tips such as: relax, dip it, spread it, make it accessible etc will be helpful to you.

Please do post back and let me know what you think.
Warm wishes,
LJ

Hi LJ,

I give snacks between meal time (apple, yogurt, etc) but not everyday since she took long time to finished her food. If she doesn't want to eat the meal I always switch to other food/snacks. Thanks for the url, I will read it after my daughter asleep.